Festivals of The Rebellion
by Pegli One
Summary: Darth Vader is monitoring a routine mission to exterminate rebel forces on an outer rim world, but his plans fall apart when the will of those living on the icy planet proves far stronger than he expected. This story was inspired by a certain historical event. I challenge readers to guess which one.
1. Chapter 1: The Planet

**Author's Note:** _This is the first part in a story I'm writing which is inspired by a certain historical anniversary, I challenge you all to guess which one._

 ** _Chapter 1: The Planet  
_**

Through the impenetrable windows of his newest spacecraft, a Gladiator II-class Star Destroyer, he gazed at the dense atmosphere of the white planet, known as Glacian. It was large, but with far less technological capabilities than a typical rebel stronghold and located in the furthest depths of the Outer Rim Territories. He did not understand why his master had sent him to restore order to an insignificant wasteland, but was eager to demonstrate the might of the Galactic Empire.

The holoprojection pod came to life. He stared along the sleet coated roads of the towns where his personal stormtrooper legion patrolled in pairs, their blasters raised. Cameras placed throughout the planet provided him with hundreds of views to select from. Each featured the same dreary hovels, so encrusted with ice they may have been constructed from it. None of the residential structures had more than two levels.

The streets were free from civilians, but in every image the same flag hung from several balconies. Despite the colour distortions created by the projector and his own optical sensors, which together gave the scene a violet tint, he recognised the cursed insignia. The Alliance to Restore the Republic had planted its roots deep. It was his mission to wrench it from the frozen surface of the planet and crush it to ashes.

The stormtrooper leading the soldiers on the ground contacted him via his comlink. "Lord Vader," he said, "what are your orders?"

"Command your units to find the rebels hiding in the urban regions," said the Sith Lord. "Question every resident and leave no space unsearched. Our enemies are deceptive and have many allies here. Transport anyone who attempts to conceal them from us to the town centre where they will be visible from the surrounding buildings."

"What of the rebels themselves, Sir?"

"Bring them aboard the ships. I will deal with them myself." His burnt lips twitched behind his black mask.

"Understood, we will inform you of any delays."

"Glacian is weak and our control over it is firm. If troopers are competent, you will face no serious obstacles in your mission. I look forward to our triumph."

"Sir, what if the surviving Jedi interferes?"

"He is an invention of the planet, meant to serve its interests." The rumours of a man evading twenty-two years of Imperial raids with the aids of its brave citizen had no doubt given Glacian more fame than it merited. "He poses no threat. You are to act against the rebels and their sympathisers without hesitation."

The stormtrooper accepted his instructions and transmitted them to his fellow soldiers.

The hologram switched to one of a cobblestone square featuring a clocktower with an analogue face and a red banner stretched beneath it. Though incapable of laughing, in his mind he mocked the primitive planet. Then he processed the painted words. _Anakin Skywalker Lives_ , he thought, _this day will at last prove those words false_.

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed this first part!_


	2. Chapter 2: The Punishment

**Author's Note:** _To .L, I had never even heard of the Battle of Caporetto, so that is not the event I am referencing, but I might look into it for inspiration._

 ** _Chapter 2: The Punishment_**

He fixed his hidden gaze on the town square of Neva, the capital of Glacian. From the narrow side streets, stormtroopers marched in, each dragging along a frightened resident. Most were humans, who wore dark robes, which, at a distance, made it difficult to distinguish them from the few Wookiees present. Together the rebel sympathisers reminded him of the Jedi menace he had exterminated, save for the once Grand Master Yoda who still eluded him.

The stormtroopers held the prisoners by the collars of their thick garments and pulled them to the middle of the square where they knelt in a single row. Their thighs, ankles and wrists bound with thick rope, they writhed, but stayed silent.

"Lord Vader," said the battalion commander, with a slight tremor in his voice. "We captured the rebels hiding in the towns. They will arrive at the Star Destroyer soon. Those who escaped to the outskirts will not survive the cold. We are ready for the next phrase."

He did not believe him. The Imperial leadership often underestimated the rebels. The remains of their Hoth base stood as a testament to their cunning and adaptiveness, but he embraced every opportunity to prove the superiority of his forces. "Continue as ordered," he said. "We must teach Glacian a lesson. Spare no one."

Through the windows of the nearby hovels he watched the other residents. They either stared at the square, their months gaping open or buried their faces in their hands.

The stormtroopers lined up parallel to their captives and raised their weapons. The leader waved his hand and in an instant twenty blasters sounded. Most of targets stayed standing for a moment before their knees buckled and they fell face first. Women and children collapsed along with the larger creatures, every one of them alike in their treachery against the Empire.

The executions lasted until twilight. The twisted face behind the mask grinned, as the bodies piled up around the edges of the square. On such a desolate planet, nothing could stop him from erasing the rebel threat.

Then he noticed something unusual. Every window visible on the hologram was dark, as if the houses were empty and unlit. For a moment he wondered if the display was broken. He examined the projector and found it was functioning as normal, but when he turned his attention back to the recording, he was met with a startling sight.

A disordered crowd poured onto the streets, filling every available space and rushing towards the unprepared stormtroopers. Some of the attackers carried blasters, while the sturdier beings, most of them Wookiees, fought with only their fists. He scanned through every view of Neva. The same scene was occurring throughout the town.

He once again switched on the comlink. "Anyone leaving their home is an enemy. Fire without mercy."

The commander passed on the order, but instead several stormtroopers lowered their blasters. For the first time in decades, the ruthless Sith did not know how to react.

* * *

 _Now it may be clearer which event I am invoking (though not replicating), since the current date is its official anniversary._


	3. Chapter 3: The Precedent

**Author's Note:** _Yes VadAni, the event I am referencing is the October Revolution, the second Russian Revolution, which just had its hundredth anniversary.  
_

 ** _Chapter 3: The Precedent_**

Throughout the town, the rioters charged forward without caring if they died. Their persistence compensated for their lack of weaponry. The loyal stormtroopers fired on them, while the traitors nodded at their attackers, who stepped away from them. Together the rowdy citizens and the cowards outnumbered the true soldiers.

"We should have expected a portion of our ranks to turn against us," said the commander, as he blasted the approaching citizens. "Our lengthy occupation allowed them to bond with the locals and hear the slanders against us. Rebel lies are everywhere. Lord Vader, what…" He choked before he could finish his question.

"I am not interested in excuses," said the distant killer, as his target collapsed. Some may have questioned the decision to a replace a commander in the middle of a battle, but he could not allow a weakling to let the fight be lost.

Another stormtrooper knelt beside his deposed leader. He paused for a moment then rose to his feet. "Lord Vader," said the new owner of the comlink. "Some of our soldiers are still refusing to fight. Should we terminate them?"

The suggestion had merit, but he was not willing to half the number of available troops. "No, inform them that anyone who refuses to follow orders must explain their disobedience to me in person once the battle is won." He did not expect any satisfactory explanations and the stormtroopers knew the consequences of not presenting one.

"Yes Sir, I'll send the message to Verna too."

His chest burned as if it once again lay on the ash of Mustafar. "You neglected to report on Verna. Tell me what it is occurring there." No answer came from the comlink, though it emitted white noise. He did not know whether the stormtrooper was too preoccupied or too terrified to speak, but it did not matter. He needed to crush the uprising before it spread any further. "We have been too delicate with this planet. Our mercy ends now. Destroy Neva. Execute every resident without exception."

His soldiers, including those who had refused to shoot earlier, obeyed the new instructions. He smirked at the thought that his disappointment was a more terrifying force than any immediate danger. The previous commander was foolish to suggest that the troops cared for the locals. Fear and anger were stronger than any warm feelings. He had always known that.

Under his direction a stormtrooper tore down the vivid banner on the clocktower. _Anakin Skywalker is not only dead_ , he thought, _He never existed. The Jedi invented him._

Convinced he had defeated the insurrection in Neva. He switched his attention to Verna, the second largest urban area in Glacian. As he had suspected, it was the sight of similar violence.

Eager to find out how many towns were fighting against him he checked every view provided by the projector. Not a single scene was peaceful. No matter how many citizens suffered and died, more and more of them joined the desperate struggle.

* * *

 _I admit the story is based more on the mythology surrounding the Russian Revolution than the reality of it, but I hope you enjoy the rest of it.  
_


	4. Chapter 4: The Price

**Author's Note:** _This is the last chapter. I will end with an interesting fact. Each chapter document in this story has a word count of exactly 556.  
_

 ** _Chapter 4: The Price_**

Hours later, the hologram displayed a deserted wreck where Neva once stood. A cruel leer twisted his scarred face. _Nothing has changed_ , he thought. Wind and icy had weathered the brick buildings. The thermal detonators proved unnecessary, since tossing bodies at the walls of most houses was enough to make them collapse. On occasion the stormtroopers used their explosives to ensure no one survived beneath the rumble. Only the mounds of corpses testified that the town had met a violent end.

The scene in Verna told a different story. There the locals kept fighting, aided by rebels returning from the outskirts. He had assigned the victorious troops from Neva to other towns, but the Imperial forces were still outnumbered. Unable to defeat multiple enemies at once, many units dropped dead. Their leader urged them to fight harder, but it was no use.

 _This is not the first planet that refused to accept defeat_ , he reminded himself. He had suppressed hundreds of better armed insurrections, though no movement had lasted so long while sustaining such heavy losses. _If I must exterminate the entire planet to bring peace then so be it_ , he told himself. The decision to build the second Death Star may have been wiser than he had suspected.

He summoned the commander of the last battalion left on the Star Destroyer to the bridge. "Send your units to the surface," he said, "Glacian must cease its aggression."

"Lord Vader," said the stormtrooper, "I have reports the uprisings are weakening."

"I don't share your optimism," said the black figure, without turning his head. "It is unwise to question my judgement." He raised a clenched fist.

"Four rebels aboard the ship have escaped their cells. We must contain them before we send reinforcements."

"I am losing patience. Do as I command. I will deal with the rebels."

"Sir, they are carrying detonators. The officers want permission to evacuate the ship."

"Permission denied, the rebels will not survive long."

After the commander left, he stared at the cursed hologram, then reached for a nearby switch with the intent of turning it off, but the relentless uprising haunted him. What remained of his organic body trembled after over twenty-two years of stillness instead his metal suit. The Sith apprentice hated the planet, but not with the deliberate and well cultivated hatred which made him strong. He hated it the way he had hated Tusken Raiders who killed his mother, with a consuming hatred born of fear.

When the fighting at last came to an end, it reassured him that nothing in the galaxy was beyond his control. The relief he felt made the delay in searching for the escaped rebels worthwhile or, so he thought. An explosion echoed. Alarms blared one after another, indicating that a cascade of nuclear reactions was engulfing the ship. With immense reluctance and shame at his momentary weakness, he ordered an urgent evacuation, worried that news of his defeat was spreading fast.

Aboard a singed TIE fighter, Anakin Skywalker fled the burning Star Destroyer.

* * *

 _Well done to VadAni for correctly guessing the historical event. Suggestions for futures stories are welcome._


End file.
